A Kid In Thief's Clothing
by LuckydrawR
Summary: He had only just finished a heist, looked at the jewel to see that it wasn't what he was looking for once more. That would be his last heist for a long time. Once he woke up he found himself in an interrogation room, slightly dizzy, but also ... why are his legs not touching the floor? (From a cut idea I had been planning for 'Violent Moonstone'.)
1. Ishikawa Lee

_**I know I have a LOT of stories, but I couldn't help it with this one. This storyline's main plot actually came from an idea that was meant to be in 'Violent Moonstone', but I thought putting it in would be a bit much as in it'd be putting too much clutter into the story. So, I decided to take it out, but I also REALLY wanted to do a fic on this thus this story came to be. It's an idea done quite often in the Detective Conan fandom only mine is tweaked just a bit to suit what I want in the story. It'll have differences to what other people have done and it'll also have similarities.**_

"Speech" - (Talking)

 _"Speech" - (Phone calls and previous chapters or flashback sequences)_

 _'Speech' - (Thoughts)_

 _[Speech] - (Text messages)_

 _ **But I hope you can enjoy it anyways.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1**_

 _ **Ishikawa Lee**_

 ** _~~~ ? - Beika District - ? ~~~_**

 _"Boy, please, give me your name."_

 _"I already told you my name..."_

 _"I highly doubt your name is Lee. I saw what happened to you and that isn't normal now tell me who you are!"_

 _"You'll be in danger if I tell you, Keiji-san..."_

 _"I'm a police officer, so try me."_

 ** _~~~ 9:45pm - Beika District - Haido City Museum ~~~_**

A certain white-caped crusader stood atop the museum; holding his stolen treasure up to the full moon sky to get a glimpse to see what was hidden inside.

He eyed the jewel carefully, making sure to see he didn't miss anything when it happened.

A sigh broke out from his lips when nothing did. "Another failure..." He pocketed the gem and jumped down into the alleyway next to the museum which housed a bunch of apartment complexes. The magician-thief looked at his watch from behind his sleeve and winced. "It's nearly ten. I better head home."

He took out his cell phone; ready to call up his assistant when the sound of footsteps caught his attention. He looked in the direction he had heard them come from, frowning when he saw nothing.

 _'I must be paranoid with all these snipers after me...'_

He turned his attention back to his cell; when he _definitely_ heard the sound of shuffling coming from behind him. He turned around, sharply, ready to dodge whoever it was at any moment when the back end of a rifle was hit of the back of his head. He staggered back, dazed, grabbing the wall for support.

He looked up at his attacker, eyeing them up and down, scanning their appearance and locking it away in his brain. _'He's wearing black, a large man with sunglasses. Wait ... black...?'_

The man seemed to notice the thief taking in his appearance, grabbing him by his dress shirt while he was still dazed and threw him on the ground. "He's dazed, but he saw me. What should we do with him, Aniki?"

The thief could only turn his head slightly when he heard the large man's voice, but froze at the cold and sinister-like voice of the man with him. "Our orders were to kill him since Branch 2 can't." The sound of more shuffling and loud footsteps as one of the men approached the teen. "We'll use the drug on him like we did with that Kudou brat."

This caused the magician's eyes to widen. _'N...No way. These are the guys ... who made Tantei-kun like he is now...?'_

The teenager tried to get up, but it seemed he was still slightly disoriented from the hit to the head. The two seemed to notice his movement as one them approached the thief, grabbing him by his messy, chocolate brown hair and forcing his mouth open to force a strange pill into his mouth. The other man gave him a tube of water which allowed the pill to go down his throat without a problem.

KID could now get a good look at who was giving him the pill.

It wasn't the snipers he knew and ran from.

It was someone else.

It was someone with long silver hair and a terrifying gaze that chilled the teenager to the bone.

Once the man was certain that the teen had taken the drug they picked up their things and ran off. The thief looked up in relief that they were gone, but couldn't celebrate for long when a sudden pain in his chest burned within him. He collapsed back onto the ground, grabbing the fabric of his suit where his heart was, breathing harshly.

He felt as if his bones were melting.

It was such an intense pain.

He bit his bottom lip trying not to scream.

His Poker-face was holding up, but the pain was harsh.

He drew in a deep breath, eyes wide when he realised ... that he was going to die...

He screamed, letting out the pain that he had been keeping in since it had started.

The thief didn't realise he'd garnered the attention of someone before passing out.

 ** _~~~ 10:20pm - Beika District - Metropolitan Police Department ~~~_**

He woke up, still slightly dizzy, but it didn't feel as bad as when he'd been hit. His eyes scanned the area he was in. He wasn't in the alleyway anymore which meant someone found him. His sapphire blue eyes blinked, taking in his surroundings more closely. He recognised what he was currently in.

"A...An interrogation room!?" He exclaimed, now realising he was in a police station. He widened his eyes at the sound of his voice, covering it in embarrassment.

It had sounded so high-pitched and childlike.

So unlike him.

A frown creased the magician's features as a thought came to his head. _'If those guys gave that same pill to Tantei-kun; who's actually Meitantei ... then...'_ He hopped off the seat he had been propped up on and looked around the room for a mirror of some sort.

He needed to check his ... appearance...

He turned back to the chair he had hopped down from, noticing how high it was along with the table.

He bit his bottom lip now realising the severity of his situation.

 _'Should I contact Meitantei...?'_ He shook his head. He shouldn't have to bother the shrunken detective with his current problem ... even though they were basically the same.

The sound of the door clicking caused the now shrunken-thief to look over with wide blue eyes to see who it was that'd be interrogating him. He blinked when it was a woman with dark brown hair, wearing a light blue jacket and jeans with a violet turtleneck underneath. She had lavender eyes that watched the boy closely as she walked over to the table and sat down.

She gestured across from her for the boy to take a seat across from her and he did so. "My name is Satou Miwako; a police detective for the Metropolitan Police Department." The magician swallowed, fidgeting in his seat. "It was just after a Kaitou KID heist when I was going to my car from shopping when I heard your scream. May I have your name before we proceed further?"

He noticed how she eyed him carefully, making him nervous and he hardly ever felt that way.

"My name is..." He had to think of something. How did Kudou think of _his_ alias? Had it been in a similar situation as this? "...Lee!"

Her look didn't seem to falter in the slightest it only seemed to grow more agitated. "Boy, please, give me your name."

"I already told you my name is Lee!" The shrunken magician could feel himself cringing at how she wasn't falling for his act. Just how?

Her eyes narrowed at Kaito. "I highly doubt your name is Lee. I saw what happened to you and that isn't normal now tell me who you are!"

The boy flinched at her yell, causing sympathy to cross the detective's features for raising her voice at him. He lowered his head, hair shadowing his eyes as he had noticed his top hat and monocle had been removed before he arrived here. "You'll be in danger if I tell you, Keiji-san..."

A blink crossed the woman's features as she stared at the faux child before her. _'He reminds me a lot of Conan-kun, but why...?'_ She didn't continue her thoughts as she instead smiled at the boy before her, standing up and folding her arms, grabbing his attention. "I'm a police officer, so try me..."

The teen-turned-child stared at the detective for a moment, wondering whether or not he should truely trust this woman with his true identity and also tell her about what happened. A frown crossed his features as the realisation of what she said hit him. She said she had seen him, so did that mean she saw him in his KID outfit or she saw him ... shrink?

Neither was good.

He let out a short sigh and shrug. "Alright. My name is Kuroba Kaito." The name seemed to shock Satou, but Kaito held up his hand. "I don't know how much you saw, but all I know is I was given a pill of some sort."

"Do you know what it was meant to do?" She questioned him, raising an eyebrow.

"They didn't say, but I have a fairly good idea that it was meant to kill me."

This information caused Satou to narrow her eyes and put a finger to her chin. "Have you seen them before?"

"Never."

"Why did they target you then?"

This question caused Kaito to zip his mouth shut and look away. She may be trying to help him, but if she knew he was KID she'd send him straight to Nakamori.

"It's because you're Kaitou KID, correct?" The boy turned his attention back to her, shocked. "You were dressed as him right after a heist." She put a hand in her pocket, taking out what he'd stolen from the museum that night. "You also had this in your pocket." She put it back right after she showed it to him; at seeing the gem in her possession caused the thief to freeze. "Kuroba-kun, I won't hand you over..." This caused Kaito to blink, but also eye her in suspicion. "...it seems there are people out there worse than a small-time thief like you. They also have a reason for trying to kill you which I find is more important to go after someone like that."

Kaito blinked at Satou's sense of righteousness it reminded him a lot of a certain girl he knew and liked yet Satou's was different due to her experience in the force with murderers more often than thieves.

"So, I can guess you're the only victim to have survived this..." She gestured at him. "...drug-like poison."

"There's one other I know of..." She blinked at hearing this. "...but you must _not_ mention it to anyone he knows or else they'll be in danger." She narrowed her eyes, nodding at him. She knew the risks when people were involved with criminals such as these. "You may know him ... Edogawa Conan and Kudou Shinichi ... are one and the same. The same thing happened to him."

Satou blinked, shocked for a moment before a thoughtful look crossed her face. "No wonder he seemed to know so much about detective work that a normal six-year old wouldn't. Not only that ... his personality shifts as well between mature and childlike."

"That's his act." She looked over to Kaito; who had a grin on his face. "He tries to make sure no one suspects him by being childish yet the only time he's himself is during crime scenes, heists and around those kids."

"I see. How do you know this?"

"I...I just know stuff..."

She eyed the boy suspiciously before letting out a sigh and sitting back down. "Well, you've given me quite a bit of information and because of how strange it is I can't make it into a report." She leaned back in the chair, looking thoughtful. "How suspicious would it be if you went home like that?"

"Very. I live alone in Ekoda."

A frustrated sigh left the detective as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alright. How about this ... because of your head injury you can't remember your last name since there haven't been any missing children reports it'd be suspicious. So I'll take you in so they don't send you off somewhere, put you into a school, etcetera."

The shrunken magician blinked, tilting his head to the side at what the detective was saying. She was saying she was going to take him in.

Him?

A thief?

What was going on here?

"Umm ... why are you helping me?" He questioned, sounding confused.

The question surprised the woman as she finally looked back over to the confused look on the child and gave him a smile. "I want to catch those criminals that did this to you and Kudou-kun." Her eyes narrowed at her next words. "Since that drug was meant to kill you ... they are people not meant to be toyed with."

Kaito turned his head away from her, nodding. "I know..."

The police woman was surprised at the response, but shook her head and smiled at him. "Anyway, you'll need an alias like how Kudou-kun's is Conan-kun."

Kaito turned his attention back to Satou and nodded at her. "Yea, I've been thinking it over during our conversation." She tilted her head, curious as to what it was. A large grin spread across his face in an instant. "Ishikawa Lee!"

A blink.

Miwako let out a soft sigh and shook her head at the thief before standing from her spot across him. "I'll go talk with Megure-keibu about this and see if it's alright. He's a very understanding person after all."

Kaito blinked, watching her leave the room.

He let out a sigh at having been interrogated like that, still unsure whether to trust her or not.

However it seemed to be his only choice now.

 ** _~~~ 8:55am - Beika District - Teitan Elementary ~~~_**

He never thought he'd have to go back to elementary school again so soon, especially not when the person looking after him _knew_ his identity. Now he was going to feel the same pain that Kudou felt day-in and day-out of being treated like a child when you're not.

What a joy...

He had just gone to the teacher's lounge as he was instructed by the Principal when he came the day before with a disguised Satou. Why she had needed a disguise he didn't know, but he guessed it was so no one recognised her and it was to play a role as his guardian. He was told his teacher was Sumiko Kobayashi; a young woman with short black hair, wore plain clothes and wore glasses.

His classroom was class 1-B ... and coincidentally the same as Kudou's.

He was going to have fun with this.

As long as he didn't draw too much attention to himself then he was fine.

The teacher entered the rowdy classroom causing the shrunken teen to forget how loud elementary kids were before class started.

Then again he and Aoko were no different and they were high-schoolers.

"Alright, settle down!" Kobayashi exclaimed over the loud voices of the children. They all settled and turned their attention to her. "We have a new student joining us today. I hope you all get along with him." She looked towards Kaito and gestured for him to come in.

He looked in, eyeing each individual kid before spotting Kudou or 'Conan' as he's known as an alias. He swallowed, walking in and approaching the board to grab a piece of chalk and write his name. He was told by Satou to not use magic outside to avoid garnering attention to himself as not all kids his age know magic to his level.

That would be right.

It would be suspicious, but he usually can't go a day without pranking ... or magic...

So what could he do?

He was told that if he couldn't handle not doing magic to try and befriend Conan and his group of friends. He thought it'd be easier to outright tell the shrunken detective who he was, but Satou told him that _'it wouldn't be fun if he didn't figure it out for himself'_.

This fact made Kaito excited for when his rival figured it out.

He just couldn't wait.

After he wrote his name on the board he turned around and smiled at the class of kids. "I'm Ishikawa Lee! I hope we can get along!" A spark of mischief played in his blue eyes and Kaito saw that Conan was eyeing him like he would a case and the thief was loving every second of it.

* * *

 ** _Kaito's given name he chose comes from the beginning of 'LeBlanc' from 'Maurice LeBlanc' the author of the 'Arsene Lupin Series' while his surname comes from 'Ishikawa Goemon' a famous phantom thief who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. If you played Persona 5 you'd get more history on the those two along with other real-life phantom thieves or rather pirates like 'William Kidd' and so on. I was planning on Kaito's chosen given name actually be 'William' at first from 'William Kidd' for the whole Kaitou KID thing, but decided against it in the end since 'William Kidd' is a pirate not a phantom thief._**

 ** _LdR OUT_**


	2. Destiny

_**I've seen a lot of fanfics where Kaito's shrunk and he goes to live either with Shinichi/Conan, Ran and Kogoro (which is in the most case scenario) or he lives with Hakuba. I decided to go with Satou because you wouldn't expect Kaito to be taken in by a police detective and I thought since they both lost their Fathers at a young age they'd create a sort of sibling bond with each other as they live with one another through Kaito's dilemma.**_

 _ **I'll also be calling Kaito "Lee" in descriptive sentences from now on along with "Ishikawa" since it's his alias like "Conan Edogawa" is Shinichi's. I'll only go back to calling him "Kaito" or "Kuroba" in descriptions when he's taken an antidote pill like Shinichi does sometimes. However characters will call them different names depending on if they're alone or not like in the Anime/Manga. This is just so no one gets confused with the name thing.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2**_

 _ **Destiny**_

 _ **~~~ 11:05pm - Beika Destrict - Satou's Apartment ~~~**_

 _Satou had driven Kaito or as his alias currently was "Lee" back to her place after getting confirmation that she could take care of the boy from the Inspector until they found out more about him. The boy had been quiet during the whole ride ... contemplating his current situation while looking out of the window._

 _It was hard for her to tell what he was thinking by that blank Poker-face he wore._

 _It was something she saw on Conan often..._

 _They had arrived half an hour after their talk in the interrogation room; Satou parked her car and showed the shrunken-thief where her apartment was. When they got inside she gave him a spare pair of slippers that were conveniently placed there; most likely in case Conan and his friends decided to drop by._

 _"You'll be staying here until we can catch those men and figure out how to get you..." She looked back to him. "...back to your normal age, I guess."_

 _"Right..." He mumbled out, eyeing the room with a cautious air around him._

 _The police woman sighed, walking further in with the boy close behind her. "Is there anyone you need to call?"_

 _This stopped the shrunken teen midstep. "Yea, but I can't call them like this..." She turned her head to look at him with a confused frown. "My voice hasn't matured yet, so it's not what they're used to. They'll think I'm some punk kid pranking them."_

 _The woman nodded, putting a hand to her chin in thought. "I see. Is there any other way?"_

 _"I can probably text them, but after a certain amount of times they'll want to have a voice call." Satou nodded, knowing that would be true if they were worried about his safety and whereabouts. "Kudou seems to have something that allows him to call that Mouri girl when he wants."_

 _This surprised Satou, turning her attention to her new ward. "He does?" He nodded at her question, causing her frown. "He must do that so she doesn't worry. I can only guess that Agasa-hakase invented it for him."_

 _The teen-turned-child nodded his head at her recent discovery. "I could tell him my problem and..." A slight smirk spread across Satou's face as she waved a finger at him, causing him to frown slightly. "Aren't you known for teasing detectives? Leaving clues for them to find?" The child blinked, wondering where She was going with this. "Why don't you let him try and figure you out on his own, KID-san?"_

 _The boy blinked for a moment before letting a smirk of his own settle across his childish features and nodded at her. "Yea, you're right about that, Satou-keiji."_

 ** _~~~ 3:05pm - Beika District - Teitan Elementary ~~~_**

It was currently after-school on the shrunken-magician's first day at elementary school or as _he_ imagined it as revisiting it in a way; only this time he was attending a school in Beika not Ekoda. He was ten years older than his classmates; mentally, yet only knew of one other who shared the same predicament as him.

He now understood how hard it must've been for the mini-detective to keep up his act.

Being put back in year one when you're a high-schooler of above average intelligence is ... kind of insulting yet he had to do this.

He had to act like a normal child...

"Lee-kun, right?" The teen-turned-child turned his head to see a girl with shoulder length dark, oak-brown hair pulled back by a yellow hairband with violet eyes. She had a bright smile on her face and he noticed it was aimed at him. "Would you like to join us?"

She gestured to the group behind her; taking note of the large boy with tanned skin and a buzzcut, a tall boy with freckles standing beside him along with the two other kids he knew well. A girl with shoulder-length, strawberry-blond hair and leaf-green eyes while the boy had dark brown hair and ocean-blue eyes that were hidden behind large glasses.

"Conan-kun and Ai-chan were new here not too long ago! Now we're friends! Why don't you join us?" the girl exclaimed, her smile radiating a kind of innocence that the mini-thief saw only in one person.

The boy blinked, trying to think of how to respond as a child to another child. He hadn't been one in ... ten years, so how did they act now? Kids were always so energetic, full of life and in some ways reckless ... kind of like him...

So, maybe he just had to act like himself.

He was always told he was like a big kid.

A large smile grew across his face and he nodded his head at her. "Sure. I'd really like that!"

"Great!" She exclaimed, jumping with excitement and clapping her hands together. "I'm Yoshida Ayumi!" She pointed to each of her friends to introduce them. "These are my friends; Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko, Kojima Genta, Edogawa Conan and Haibara Ai!"

"It's nice to meet all of you!" Lee exclaimed, showing them that he really wanted to join their little group.

"Alright! Detective Boys got a new member!" Mitsuhiko cried out, pumping his fist into the air, followed by the other two kids; surprising Lee.

"You'll get used to them." He turned his head to hear the quiet and calm voice of Haibara; who was standing beside an equally sarcastic-looking Conan.

He nodded his head at her, but noticed how the detective was eyeing him once more as the group made their way out of the classroom after grabbing their bags. He heard things like going over to Agasa's house to see a new invention from the three in front of him leading the way.

The thief blinked and smiled, becoming more relaxed around them.

They were kids after all and even though they had a detective with them they were pretty harmless.

He could feel the eyes of said detective behind him which meant he was already suspecting him...

The six children walked down the streets of Beika, passing many civilians that Lee was realising now just how short he was compared to the adults when he was young. He was probably around Conan's height.

He winced slightly.

Was he really once that short?

It was hard for him to believe that he and Kudou had such a big growth spurt.

"Lee-kun, where are you from?" The sudden question from the girl in front caught him off guard.

He bit his bottom lip.

He hadn't thought of a cover story for himself yet.

He only thought of a name.

What could he do?

"That's right." Haibara spoke up this time and he knew how much she hung around Kudou, causing him to suspect she was also supposedly shrunk too. "Your name is like Edogawa-kuns. It's strange in the sense you have an English given name and a Japanese surname."

 _'Crap ... think, Kaito, think!'_

"That's because I'm half-English..." The group had stopped walking to listen to the thief's explanation. They're kids so they'll believe anything at most times. Hopefully. "...My Tousan was Japanese, so my Kaasan took his name, but they wanted me to have a English name in honour of Kaasan's home."

He rubbed the back of his head, waiting, hoping they fell for it.

He opened his eyes, not realising he had closed them to see the kids eyes full of curiosity and wonder.

It worked!

"Wow, so cool!"

"You're half-English just like Conan-kun?"

"Did you live over there or here?"

"I live here. My parents had to decide where to live for money reasons and my Kaasan always liked Japan, so..." He shrugged his shoulders as if to give it an open-ending.

"Your Kaasan stayed in Japan, away from her home country for your Tousan? How romantic!" Ayumi squealed, causing the boy to look a little caught off-guard at her response.

Haibara looked to the boy standing beside her; who looked deep in thought and was glaring at the new boy in their group. "What do you think of him?"

"I don't know. His name sounds made-up ... just like mine. It's sounds like something he came up with on the spot..." Conan replied to her question while also keeping a close eye on Lee.

"So, do you think he's someone like us?"

"It's a possibility, but you never know. We'll have to keep an eye on him until we can get him alone," He told the girl; who nodded at him.

 ** _~~~ 3:32pm - Beika District - Agasa's House ~~~_**

They arrived on Beika street half an hour later; Conan opening the door to the Professor's house with the other kids following behind him, leaving their shoes behind at the door.

"Hakase! We're here!" He called out to his neighbour and friend.

"We also brought a new friend along as well! He's new to our class!" Ayumi shouted to the man somewhere in the house.

"I'm in the lab!" A responding shout was heard and they followed it down the hall into a large area with many contraptions and machines that caused the kids to open their mouths in awe at them. The old man in the lab coat turned around to see the group and blinked when he saw them, especially when he saw Lee. "Who's this?"

"Ishikawa Lee..." He muttered out, acting as though he was shy around adults he didn't know.

Stranger danger after all.

This only caused the old man to laugh. "No need to be shy around me, Lee-kun. I'm only an inventor."

This only caused a blink from the boy's eyes as the man started to show his new invention to the children. The shrunken-thief eyed the man; he'd seen the yellow beetle outside the house and he'd seen it parked across from the Blue Parrot a couple of times.

 _'Could this man be ... Jii-chan's inventor friend. I mean if Kudou knows him too then what a small world we live in...'_

However the magician couldn't go on his own little investigation to check and see if he was as he was being watched by the only two kids _not_ looking at Agasa's demonstration. He'd have to use his eyes and work around this.

Then again he can't get _too_ curious.

After all ... curiosity killed the cat and he didn't want to be that cat.

He survived a poison by his luck and who knows if it'll happen again...

After the demonstration was over it was 3:45pm and the kids all said their goodbyes before heading off. Lee had scoured the whole room with his eyes during that time, making sure not to look suspicious to the detective watching him and was about to leave as well.

That is until he noticed something out of the corner of his eye; sitting on a table by the window and almost out of everybody's view. He approached it, noting how it had a white blanket covering it and frowned.

"Lee-kun, what..." He ignored the Professor and yanked the blanket off, seeing what was hidden underneath; a pair of rocket-powered boots, a gun that looked similar to his card gun and what appeared to be a hang-glider designed from a cape.

"Hakase, what is all that?" Conan's voice stuttered out, seeming in shock. "I...It looks like KID's stuff. Why ... would you have it?"

Lee picked the gun up, holding it in his hand; feeling the weight and shifting it between his hands. _'It feels the same...'_

"Hakase, tell me!" Conan exclaimed, starting to get irritated with not being answered by his long-time friend and neighbour.

The man seemed to stiffen at the yell from the shrunken detective along with the gaze he was receiving from both Haibara and Conan.

"So, I was right." The three looked over to the boy who had uncovered this secret within the Professor's house. "That yellow beetle I saw was yours. You've been inventing these to help a long time friend of yours try and protect his Master's idiotic son, haven't you?"

The question caught Agasa off-guard and even more so when the boy spun around and pulled the trigger, letting a card hit the wall near where a newspaper was of Kaitou KID's recent heist a day ago that was currently pinned to the wall.

It suddenly went off like a light in Conan's head as he stared at Lee and then to where the card had in fact ended up. "That aim and ... the fact we look similar ... you're Kaitou KID..." He turned back to the boy; who didn't seem at all phased that he was found out. "...how'd you...?"

"Shrink?" He shrugged, causing the other boy to cringe. "It was something about the guys in Branch 2 not being able to kill me, so they sent someone else to do it." The magician put the gun back down, leaning against the desk the inventions were on looking thoughtful. "They mentioned you though; saying they used the same pill on you."

Both Haibara and Edogawa's eyes widened at hearing this, looking at each other before turning back to the thief. "Did you see what they looked like?!"

Lee blinked at the horrified shout from the two, bumping into the desk in surprise. "One of them was large and wore sunglasses while the other I only know he had long silver hair and..." He froze up. "...his voice was cold like ice and sent chills down my spine. They both wore black. That's all I know."

"Gin and Vodka..." Conan growled out, causing confusion to etch onto Lee's face. "They're a part of a crime organisation that deals in drugs, blackmail and anything of the sort. If they don't get what they want ... they'll resort to making your death look like an accident with no evidence around to make it seem like murder."

Lee's face darkened, eyes on the ground as he ground his teeth together. "A murder covered up to look like an accident, huh? As if I haven't heard that before..."

Conan and Ai exchanged looks before the shrunken-detective coughed allowing Lee to lift his head up and turn his attention back to the other boy. "I'd like to know who found you and also what your identity is." The magician took a step back, seeming hesitant. "We're on the same side; you want those men taken down as much as I do. I don't know why they were after you before now, but now you have another reason for trying to help me put them away."

The hesitance behind Lee's expression relaxed, but only slightly as he eyed both Conan and Ai. "My name is Kuroba Kaito; son of Kuroba Toichi - the first Kaitou KID." Conan blinked at hearing this, surprised.

He certainly wasn't expecting that.

Then again it made some sense...

"What about who found you? Someone must've for you to be sent to a school," Conan questioned the boy further.

The question caused Lee to rub behind his neck, looking almost embarrassed. "Yea, about that..." The hesitation in the thief's voice caused Conan and Ai to raise their eyebrows. "...it was actually one of those detectives you know ... Satou-keiji. She also saw me shrink..."

"She what?" Conan ground out, teeth chattering together as he clenched his fists at his sides.

Lee noticed this and held his hands up in protest. "Hey, I didn't know she was around. It was the same when you shrunk too?" The question made Edogawa relax, but he still kept a glare on the magician. "She said she won't say anything and will help us put those guys away."

"She also suggested for you to stay with her, didn't she?" Haibara asked, a teasing smile on her face.

Conan looked from Haibara to Ishikawa; who was nodding his head at her, arms behind his head as if not bothered that he was living with a police officer. "She was my only option at that moment as my Mum is in Los Vegas, my Assistant may not believe me and there's no way I'm staying at home alone. I thought it'd be best to live with her and try and get help through her and possibly contact you as well."

The child detective nodded his head, agreeing with what Lee had explained and put a hand to chin, thinking. "This is troublesome. They're getting really gutsy ... going after a well-known jewel thief." The boy looked over at the shrunken magician and glared at him. "You should be glad the poison shrunk you; it works 99.9% of the time."

"I guess that's how good my luck is!" Lee exclaimed, grinning, causing both faux children to frown at him. He just laughed and waved them off. "We'll be seeing a lot of each other so you gotta learn to get along with me, Tantei-kun!"

"I know that. You're just so irritating..." Conan ground out, glaring at Lee.

"I know I am!" Lee exclaimed, spinning around on his tip-toes with a grin on his face. "I'm told that everyday!"

 _'How am I going to live through elementary now with KID in the same class as me?'_


	3. Invincible Heart

_**I wanted to show this isn't entirely about the BO and Kaito's involvement with Shinichi/Conan's problem, but also a bunch of other different cases as well. Since Kaito is shrunken this will mainly be focused on Kaito and Conan along with the Detective Boys. There will be some instances where Heiji, Ran and Aoko will appear, but right now it's the Detective Boys. I was actually thinking this chapter could introduce Aoko and Ran, but I thought that was too soon and so I thought of this case. I mean Kaito would have to run into a case sooner or later with hanging out with Conan.**_

 _ **Also, there will be instances where we see Conan and Kaito/Lee have a fond respect for each other a part from just rivals and start to see each other as more than friends (NOT KAISHIN), but possibly family like brothers since they act like they are. I've also mentioned how this story has Kaito having a possible sibling relationship with Satou due to him living with her. That will most likely be shown a little later the closer they become.**_

 ** _Anyways, hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3**_

 _ **Invincible Heart**_

 ** _~~~ 8:25pm - Beika District - Satou's Apartment ~~~_**

"Kuroba-kun..." the boy looked up from the newspaper he had been reading; checking what kind of events were happening while he was playing primary school.

It's not like he had to know when the source of his information came from his look-alike,or even the woman in front of him, but he still was curious. The woman, who was currently taking care of him in his current condition looked disturbed, worried even.

"What's wrong, Satou-keiji?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, a concerned frown etched on his face.

"I need you to be careful and to also warn Kudou-kun and his friends since you're in his class," she spoke to him with a firm tone, surprising the shrunken teen. "There have been reports of children going missing lately." A frustrated sigh left her lips. "No one has witnessed the kidnappings which means we have nothing to go on. What's worse ... the kids turn up twenty-four hours later where they were first kidnapped ... dead..."

Lee swallowed, finally putting the newspaper down on the coffee table and looking at the police detective now with his full attention.

He had a feeling he knew why she was telling him this...

In his current state ... he and Kudou could be targeted just like any other child...

"I'm telling you this to be careful to and from school in the coming days until we catch the culprits. We don't know anything about them only that they target children still in Elementary School," Satou explained to her shrunken ward.

"So, basically they're bunch of sickos..." Lee growled out, sounding angry that someone _could_ in fact harm an innocent child.

The tone surprised Satou, but she shrugged it off and nodded at him. "You could say that, but we still don't know what they're after other than that. Just be sure to warn Kudou-kun and be careful ... _okay_?"

 _ **~~~ 3:38pm - Beika District - Beika Street ~~~**_

"Did you guys hear that that magician Sanada Kazumi will be doing a show around here?" Ayumi exclaimed, excitement clear in her voice.

Lee blinked looking over to the girl with confusion on his face; a baseball cap on his head to hide his messy brown hair. He wasn't sure if he'd meet any of his friends from Ekoda in Beika, but he was wearing one just to be sure and it also made him look cool. "Sanada Kazumi?" He asked, tilting his head. _'I've heard of the name before, but never thought much on it...'_

The girl turned around to face the magician with surprise on her face before a smile spread across her face. "He's a really great magician! I heard he dressed up as KID once for a show during the Black Star Heist!" Lee frowned at that; he never liked people dressing up as KID even if it was for show. He never took kindly to imposters. "You've met him before, haven't you, Conan-kun?"

The boy in glasses nodded at her only catching glimpses of the conversation here and there. "Err ... yea, I have. He's pretty good. I wouldn't say he's on KID's level though."

The shrunken detective levelled a smirk at the magician; who just gave a slight smirk back, grateful to the detective.

"Really?" This time it was Mitsuhiko who decided to speak up. "I'd say KID's tricks are mere child's play when compared to Sanada-sans!"

 _'Child's play! I've been doing magic since I_ was _one, thank you!'_ Ai noticed the glaring look Lee had aimed at Mitsuhiko causing her to sigh.

"How about we just agree that both magicians are good in their own way..." She spoke up, causing Ishikawa to turn to her in surprise yet was also grateful to have the children turn their attention elsewhere as they shrugged off that conversation and started a new one.

 _'Kids have such short attention spans...'_ Lee thought to himself, ironically he had one too.

The three kids began to walk with the three faux children following closely behind them; Conan looked at Lee with a suspicious eye. "Did you hear about any recent cases from Satou-keiji?"

The shrunken thief looked to the detective, blinking before putting a hand to his chin in thought. "Actually there _was_ one she told me about only last night." Conan and Ai stopped to listen to the newly shrunken thief; their attention entirely on him. "She said we should be careful as there's been a spur of kidnappings recently; mainly elementary school kids."

Conan's eyes darkened as those words left Lee's lips. "Let me guess ... they turn up dead a few days later..."

"Twenty-four hours later actually..." The shrunken magician-thief nodded at his rival. "...but yea, in the same place they were first kidnapped apparently. She also said there were no witnesses, so they have nothing to go on."

A thoughtful look crossed the mini-detective's face at hearing this piece of information. "This means that it was around the time that kids walk to and from school." He looked up and to where the other three kids were. "Which is right around now..."

The three hurried over to the other children; who were waiting for them as the faux kids surveyed their surroundings carefully, making sure no one was coming for them. They were on a street, but even though it was after school hours there weren't many people walking around ... more people drove making it easy for someone to snatch up a child walking home.

But would someone really try it if there was a _group_ of kids?

There would be too many witnesses after they had none before...

So would someone really...?

Lee's head suddenly snapped to the sound of screeching tyres; noticing how the back seat door was open as it was heading for them and saw the pair of arms and body hanging out as if to grab one of them. He couldn't however see a face since it was covered by a mask. The car was speeding closer to the footpath they were walking on and Conan had only just noticed the car too; widening his eyes and eyeing each of the kids to see which one he was aiming for.

The shrunken thief narrowed his eyes, realizing which child he was aiming for. Conan, Ai and himself were too far away from the road for him to grab them while Ayumi was the closest. He took off running towards her and shoved her out of the way and onto the ground, earning a squeal from the girl and angered shouts from the two boys with her. However their anger dissipated as they noticed the hands wrapping around Lee's waist and pulling him into the vehicle causing his hat to fall off his head and onto the pavement. Before the group of kids could react the door was slammd shut and the car sped off down the road, creating a cloud of dust in its wake.

"LEE-KUN!"

"ISHIKAWA-KUN!"

Conan stared in disbelief before anger replaced it, clenching his fists by his sides. _'Dammit, Kuroba ... you're just as reckless now as you are as KID!'_ He looked down to where Lee had been grabbed, noticing the boy's hat and picked it up. _'Let's get you back...'_

 _ **~~~ 4:15pm - Beika District - Metropolitan Police Department ~~~**_

"SATOU-KEIJI! TAKAGI-KEIJI!" The three kids exclaimed as they ran into the Police Department followed by the two not-children, surprising most of the officers in there.

The female police officer turned around along with her partner, blinking in surprise at seeing the kids. "You five? What are you doing here?" When she saw their expressions of fear, especially Ayumi's; who was already crying. Her tone became calm and stern yet also comforting. "Did something happen?"

Ayumi sniffed, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her long-sleeved shirt. "O...Our friend was j...just kidnapped..." Satou gave the young girl a comforting pat before bringing her in for a hug.

It looked she needed it.

"You're the first witnesses we've had to the kidnapping..." Takagi brought up as he took out a pen and paper. "...can you describe the vehicle they had or how the kidnapping happened?"

"It happened too fast..." Mitsuhiko muttered, sounding upset with himself that he didn't notice anything.

The two boys looked at each other; trying to recall what happened as best as they could. "It was a black sedan." The two looked behind them to see that it had been Conan that had spoken up. "Their target had initially been Ayumi-chan because she was closer to the road for them to grab her, but Lee-kun caught onto that and pushed her out of the way."

Takagi wrote all that down before blinking and raising a brow at Conan. "Who's this 'Lee-kun'?"

"He's a new transfer student in our class. He only just transferred in a few days ago," Mitsuhiko brought up, surprising Takagi as Satou frowned.

 _'I told him to be careful...'_ She scanned the children before her eyes landed on Conan; who also caught her gaze and smirked before turning his attention back to Takagi. She blinked before letting go of Ayumi and standing back to her feet. "At any rate we have five witnesses now and another kidnapped child. We should tell Megure-keibu and then set out."

"Please find him!" Ayumi exclaimed, causing the two detectives to look at her. "If he hadn't pushed me out of the way ... I would've been the one kidnapped..." She looked down as more tears came to her eyes. "So please find him!"

Satou smiled at her, bending down and patting the girl on the head. "I promise you that we will, Ayumi-chan."

This made the girl smile, but the shrunken detective looked down at the hat in his hands; a frown plastered across his lips. _'He made himself the victim because he knew he'd be more likely to survive than her...'_ He clutched the hat tight, gritting his teeth together. _'You're an idiot ... trapped in these bodies we're basically useless...'_


	4. Like Standing On Ice

**_In this story I want to make it that with not just with Kaito's growing sibling-like relationship with Satou, but also with Conan. There'll also be times he'll take a temporary cure and be himself again for Aoko's sake like what Shinichi does for Ran, but later on ... something will happen that will set events into motion and make Kaito make a life changing decision._**

 ** _Also this first case might be a bit too fast and to the point, but I kind of wanted to get it over with. I'll do something different for another case and make sure it lasts longer and I at least TRY better at it then._**

 ** _Chapter 4:- Like Standing On Ice - "Koori no Ue ni Tatsu You Ni"_**

 ** _Hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 4_**

 ** _Like Standing On Ice_**

 ** _~~~ 4:35pm - ? - ? ~~~_**

"OI!" Lee felt a large amount of force hit his stomach, causing him to sputter and cough. The shrunken teen could still taste residue of what he knew was chloroform in his mouth which meant as soon as he has been grabbed ... he had been drugged with the stuff and taken somewhere.

Where ... he didn't know.

Yet...

He turned his head in the direction the voice had come from and saw a man; he didn't look very memorable in Lee's opinion. He had short black messy hair; not as wild as Lee's, a scruffy beard, slanted eyes and a pointed nose. His figure was thin which meant he was the athletic type and hadn't been at this for long.

The shrunken thief narrowed his eyes at the man.

 _'Kudou, always looks for motives in criminals...'_ His eyes scanned the man before him, now eyeing his disheveled and dirty clothe, frowning. _'A possible break-up? No, why would he target children then...'_

It was as if it clicked in his head as the man grabbed the faux child by his shirt collar and pulled him up off the ground and to near the man's face. He caught sight of the sadness in the man's eyes, but also a hint of anger in them as well.

Lee lowered his head in understanding the man's current predicament, but going as far as killing children ... was wrong on _so_ many levels to the boy. _'I see...'_

"Ojisan?" The man lifted a brow at Lee; also seeming somewhat surprised by how the boy's voice held no fear in them. "Why are you hurting kids?"

The surprise vanished from his face to be replaced by a manic grin. "Boy, I'm doing you and those other kids a favour. I'm sending them somewhere where they'll be safe."

Lee lifted his head up and glared at the man. "So you're taking the lives of children just so that they'll be safe from harm?" The man was taken aback by the sudden glare from the child, swallowed, but kept a straight face. "Or is there another reason you're doing this?"

Lee eyed the room he was in with his captor; it looked like an apartment of sorts, abandoned one too from how the wood was rotting in the walls and floor, furniture was overturned and windows were broken.

"Maybe ... you once had a family; your child was elementary school age and was killed which is why you go after kids around that age." Lee noticed how the man's eyes widened, knowing he got him red-handed. The man dropped the faux child onto the floor, staring at the boy and backing away at how highly intelligent this six-year old was. Lee however only narrowed his eyes at the man, standing to his feet and dusting himself off. "You're jealous of the fact that they come from happy families, aren't you?"

This caused the man to shake, but he nodded nonetheless.

How could a child have figured it out so quickly?

If Conan had been the one kidnapped he would be revelling in the fact the culprit was frozen in fear at a child's genius; Lee however was furious.

This man had killed _four or more_ children just because he was _jealous_ of their happy lives.

"You disgust me..." The man was shocked at the child's words as Lee clenched his hands at his sides. "How _dare_ you kill innocent children just because you're envious of their happiness with their parents. You don't even know the full story of each individual child you've killed..." There were tears starting to trickle down the boy's cheeks.

He tried desperately to wipe them away.

"Don't you dare think that ... you're the only person in the world t...to lose someone..." His bottom lip trembled as he tried to keep his pokerface together, but the harder he tried the more tears came. "...Us kids do too ... missing them each passing day ... wishing they were still h...here..." He let out a soft whimper that nearly wasn't heard to the culprit's ears. "O...Oyaji..."

 ** _~~~ 4:50pm - Beika District - Metropolitan Police Department ~~~_**

"What?" Satou turned around, eyes wide with surprise written across her face as she stared at her partner. "He turned himself in?"

Takagi nodded; a frown set on his face. "Yes. He said that the child he kidnapped talked too much and made him begin to feel guilty..." The police detective began to look confused at this.

Conan stood behind the two and smiled to himself. _'It looks like that idiot somehow worked his magic...'_

"Conan-kun?" He turned around to see the Detective Boys behind him, noticing his smile. "Did they find anything?"

He nodded at them. "Yep. Apparently Lee-kun talked too much, causing the kidnapper to give himself in."

The kids grinned at each other and high-fived each other. Haibara approached Edogawa, tapping his shoulder to gain his attention. "What was it he really did?"

"He caused the kidnapper to 'feel guilty' for his actions..." Conan said, looking down with a frown on his face before letting a smirk spread across it. "It seems he took a page out of my book."

The shrunken scientist blinked before smirking as well. "It seems so, but let's hope he doesn't catch the same bug _you_ seem to have."

Conan glared at her for a brief moment before turning his attention back to the police officers; who seemed to be getting ready to leave. Satou turned towards them and smiled. "Come on; we're about to go pick him and the culprit up." The group nodded at her before following them out of the office.

 ** _~~~ 5:20pm - Beika District - Abandoned Apartment Complex ~~~_**

The Police and the Detective Boys arrived at the abandoned building where Lee was being held only half an hour after the culprit called the station. They heard the sounds of gunshots and shots from inside the building, shocking the officers and the kids; who had just come out of their cars.

"YOU GAVE US IN! YOU COWARD!"

 _'Must be the partner who'd been driving...'_ Conan thought to himself, frowning.

A loud crash was heard and a startled scream from a child causeed everyone to look up and see the small form of a child thrown out of the fourth story window, shattered glass surrounding him; his hands and feet tied behind back as he curled into a ball.

"LEE-KUN!" The Detective boys exclaimed, seeing their friend flying in midair with his hands and feet restrained behind his back.

The officers stared, horrified, but then snapped out of it, hurrying over to the trunk on one of the vehicles to get a large blanket ready for him to land in while another squad went inside to deal with the kidnappers.

They had stolen the lives of many children from their families ... they needed to be dealt with.

Lee was falling fast - too fast; because he was curled up like a ball it allowed him to fall at a faster velocity than normal instead of stretched out which made it hard for the officers to get the blanket out quick enough. Satou grit her teeth together before finally deciding to run to the spot she realised the boy would most likely land in. If he had been in his normal body he'd be able to survive a fall like that and end up with at least a sprained ankle or both with how nimble he was, but in a child's body ... he'd break both his legs or worse.

She kept her eyes on the shrunken teen as his body neared hers; opening her arms to catch him.

As he finally came closer to the ground he felt a shift in weight and arms wrap around his shivering, curled up form. He blinked, looked up to see Satou looking down at him with a soft smile on her face. "Satou-keiji?"

She rubbed a hand over his messy brown hair, shushing him, causing the shrunken teen to blink. "You're alright now..."

That seemed to start a chain reaction as Lee's eyes started to water, sniffing; he grasped onto Satou's uniform and cried like the child he was meant to portray himself to be. "S...Satou-keiji!"

A small, irritated smile tugged at Conan's lips as he watched the thief cry into the detective's uniform. He could even notice Takagi and Shiratori staring at the way Satou handled the boy causing both men to blush.

"He's a pretty good actor, isn't he?" Conan turned around to face Haibara; who just gave him a wry smile.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Yes. Maybe too good for his own well being..."

" _Oh?_ But at least it makes people _think_ he's an average child and not an oddball-genius with a split personality," she snickered out.

 _'Oi Oi...'_ The two watched the shrunken magician cry into Satou's chest; glad that he was okay. _'But ... I'm glad that the idiot is okay...'_ He gripped the hat in his hands and approached the two as Satou finally decided to put Lee down, undoing his restraints in the process. The boy wiped his eyes, noticing Conan was standing not too far away from him before having his hat shoved in his face. "Here's your hat back."

Lee blinked, taking it and putting it on his head with a smile on his face. "Thanks for holding onto it for me, Conan-kun!"

The other shrunken teen just shook his head and sighed as he brought the other boy in for a hug. "Don't ... do something like that again..." The thief felt Conan gripping his shirt, tightly and blinked.

A small smile spread across the other boy's face. "You know me by now..."

Conan couldn't help it.

He'd grown to like the thief even before he was shrunk.

KID was someone he matched intellect and cunning with at times and knowing that that could end if he was in danger ... made him worry.

Not only that ... he had started to see KID as the brother he never had and it messed with his head a little seeing the thief as family.

He was a detective after all and KID was a criminal and yet ... he was better to have around than most others he knew.

"Just promise me you won't..." Conan's voice wobbled a little and Lee noticed how the detective's hold on him tightened.

"K...Kudou..." Lee muttered, sounding surprised at Conan's words yet also grateful. A thoughtful look crossed the boy's features before a smile finally crossed it. "How about I spend the night at the Agency?"

Conan blinked, getting out of the hug and staring at the other boy. He looked down at the ground before nodding meekly. Lee smiled before letting go of Conan and rushing over to Satou to tell her what he just told Conan. Haibara took that chance to approach the distracted boy with an amused smile on her face.

"I'm surprised." He jumped and turned around to face her. "I didn't think you were so close with the thief ... or sentimental for that matter."

The shrunken teen glared at her for a moment before turning his attention to the ground. "It's not that I am ... I just see him as the brother that I never had; an annoying, intelligent and jokester of a brother. I can tell by the way he looks at me he sees me the same way; as family."

"I get that he'd want something like that." Haibara let a small smirk spread across her face, causing Conan to look at her with a small frown and sigh sigh a shake of the head.

Lee came rushing over with a grin on his face, nodding at Conan. "I can come over." He rubbed behind his head with a sheepish look on his face. "I'm allowed to do what I want since my 'guardian' knows that I'm not really a kid."

Conan gave the boy an envious glare, eyes narrowed. " _Lucky..._ " he muttered under his breath, annoyed.

"Satou-keiji offered to drive us there!" Lee grinned at Conan; who blinked at the boy's sudden personality change. He glanced at Haibara in worry before looking back to the shrunken thief. "Come on!" Lee began marching towards the Ferrari; not even bothered it was a _policewoman's car_ he was hopping into.

They said goodbye to the Detective Boys and hopped into Satou's car.

Conan took another glance at Lee and swallowed.

Was it him or did the the magician do all this on purpose?

 ** _~~~ 5:38pm - Beika District - Mouri Detective Agency ~~~_**

"Kaito-kun, if you're spending the night I expect a call," Satou told the shrunken thief, eyeing him which caused the boy to smile and nod.

"Alright. Thank you, Satou-keiji!" He exclaimed before following Conan up the steps of the Agency. He turned his head to see the red Ferrari take off and leave, causing him to sigh.

Sure, she had agreed to help him and Kudou, but he never wanted anyone that wasn't involved to actually _get_ involved.

She was a police officer like she had told him, so what could he have done?

She had seen him shrink and there was _nothing_ he could do about it...

They all just had to make sure no one else got involved.

The two had walked up the stairs to the office, but Conan frowned when he heard arguing inside. It sounded like it was between Ran and another girl.

Why was that?

Ran was usually relatively calm ... unless something involved Shinichi...

Oh boy...

"FOR THE LAST TIME! THIS IS MY FRIEND AND I WHEN WE WENT TO TROPICAL LAND!"

"AND I'M TELLING YOU IT'S _MY_ FRIEND! THERE'S NOW WAY TWO GUYS ARE OUT THERE THAT ARE NEAR IDENTICAL!"

"THAT _IS_ UNLESS YOU COUNT IDENTICAL TWINS!"

"WHATEVER!"

Conan's eyes widened and hesitated from opening the door. Ran was in one of her 'moods' which wasn't good to walk in on. He took a glance at Lee; who seemed to have the exact same look as him only different.

He looked at Conan and nudged his head to the office. "The girl in there ... I know her. She's probably looking for me."

Conan looked down with frustration. "Shit..."

Lee stared at him for a moment before his gaze turned on the door, hearing the continuous arguing and sighed. "We might as well go in before they kill each other..." He pushed Conan out of the way, reaching up his arm and opening the door.

The yelling got louder as the door was opened and the two boys could now see the two teenage girls standing near the office desk with a photo on it, yelling at each other while Kogoro sat nearby, looking quite miffed and terrified as he watched the scene before him.

"I...I'm home!" Conan called out which didn't even cause the girls to look in his direction, causing a vat of irritation to form in his stomach. "Great..."

Lee wandered into the office and over to the desk, ignoring Conan's protests. He looked at the two; who were arguing over whether Shinichi was the boy in the photo or not. Lee took this chance of their distraction to snatch the photo from the desk and bounce back up beside Conan.

"Wow, you're good even when shrunk..." Conan muttered under his breath for only the other to hear.

"Thanks ... I guess..." Lee didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or not. He looked the photo over and blinked.

It was definitely him; the messy hair and darker shade of eyes than Kudou along with the fact that he wore more casual clothes than suits.

How could the Mouri girl not tell the difference?

Did she want him back that bad?

"I know this niichan!" Lee exclaimed, causing Conan to stare at him for his abrupt shout.

The two girls and Kogoro turned their attention to the child; both Mouris looked between Lee and Conan before landing their eyes on Lee since he was the one that currently had the photo.

Ran approached the boy with a smile on her face though it also looked slightly irritated, eye twitching. "It's Shinichi, isn't it?"

Lee looked at Ran with a confused expression on his face, tilting his head to the side. "No. Why would it be?" He turned the photo around to face the three. "I saw him once in the park. He showed me some really cool magic. He said his name was Kaito."

Ran scoffed as she folded her arms across her chest. "That could be Shinichi trying to hide from me with another identity."

The boy blinked his eyes and shook his head. "He wore an Ekoda High uniform and when he pulled his phone out of his pocket his student ID fell out and it stated he'd attended there since first year."

"You're as bad as that brat..." Kogoro muttered out, grabbing a beer and downing it.

Lee looked at Conan and frowned at him, ' _That's not nessacarily true considering I can't stand dead bodies..._ '

He turned his attention back to the the adult and two teenagers; who he knew was were getting suspicious of him already. He swallowed and smiled like any normal child would. "I was curious. His Tousan was the late Kuroba Toichi and I really like magic, so I wanted to know more about it."

This caused Aoko to frown and approach the boy now as well. "How do you know Kaito's Tousan was a famous magician when he died before you were born?" She knelt down before him, giving him a suspicious look; eyes narrowed at the child.

"He told me when I saw his last name and started talking about how great his Tousan was!" Lee exclaimed with a huge smile on his face; eyes wide with fascination and wonder.

Aoko sighed, shaking her head. "That sounds like something that idiot would do..."

"So, we now know the boy in the photo is Kuroba Kaito ... so you two don't have argue anymore..." Kogoro grumbled out.

Ran stood up turning to Aoko as she did the same thing and the two of them bowed to each other. "I'm sorry! I was way out of line!" They blinked at how they had said that at the same time and stared at each other before bursting out laughing.

It seemed like this little dilemma of mistaken identity had come to a close.

Lee smiled while Conan sighed to himself, glad that Ran wasn't angry anymore.

He didn't want to see her smash something least of all him...

The karate champion hurried over to the kitchen area, saying she was going to get some tea for them as Aoko knelt down before Lee and put a hand on his head which was still covered by a hat. "Thank you..."

He gave her a huge grin in return, causing her to blink and remember where she'd seen a smile like that before. She'd seen it many times; in school before he did a prank, before he flipped her skirt or even before he did a magic trick. She grasped the edge of the cap and lifted it off only to stare at the messy, brown hair underneath along with the deep blue eyes that stared back at her lavender ones.

Conan stared at the two, not moving, his throat clenching as he stared at the girl before Lee.

This wasn't good...

It was Ran all over again...

"K...Kaito...?" Lee's eyes widened as he stared up at Aoko and bit his bottom lip.

 _'Oh shit...'_


	5. A Magician's Secret

_**This is chapter five of 'A Kid In Thief's Clothing' and I wanted to try adding stuff to it. So I had the whole Aoko thing play out and then obviously I wanted something to happen near the end of the chapter and so that just happened. We'll see if anything happens to Kaito next chapter won't we.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 5**_

 ** _A Magician's Secret_**

 _"K...Kaito...?"_

 _'Oh shit...'_

 ** _~~~ 5:46pm - Beika District - Mouri Detective Agency ~~~_**

Lee stared at Aoko with wide, bewildered eyes as Conan stared at the both of them from beside his near-doppelgänger.

His blue eyes darted between the two, swallowing.

A nervous laugh escaped the shrunken thief's lips as he kept eye contact with the girl, trying to make himself look less suspicious as he could. "How could I be that Niichan, Neechan?" He asked, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice by making himself seem shy.

The girl just eyed Lee with her lavender eyes, narrowing them. "I've known Kaito since we were in first grade, so I know what he looks like at that age."

' _Crap. I need to pull out my acting chops!_ ' The boy blinked and tilted his head to the side. "I don't think it's possible for someone to de-age, Neechan."

Aoko stared at the boy, still seeming to have suspicions about him however she couldn't voice them as Ran came back out with some tea with a smile on her face and handed one to Aoko; who took it gratefully once she got back to her feet. The two bonded over how similar their childhood friends looked while Conan and Lee snuck off out of the office and up to the main house.

However before the two could exit the office Ran turned her head and aimed a frown at the two. "Conan-kun, just where are you going when you haven't even introduced me to your new friend yet."

Conan blinked, causing him and Lee to turn around and smile at Ran. "Sorry, Ran-neechan." He pointed at Lee; who just waved at her, shyly. "He's new to my class, so the Shounen Tanteidan befriended him."

"That was nice of them," Ran said as she smiled down at the two. "So, what's your name?"

"Ishikawa Lee..." He mumbled out, acting shy and not making eye-contact with her.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Lee-kun!" Ran smiled at him as the boy nodded in response and followed Conan up the stairs outside of the office.

Lee could feel Aoko's gaze on him until he was finally out of her ray of vision.

He had a bad feeling she might try and figure out what happened to him.

He didn't want her sticking her nose into something like this.

If she did ... she'd be in danger...

She was almost just as intelligent as him, so it'd be easy for her to pick him a part like she just did considering how long they've known each other.

Once they got to the main room upstairs; Conan closed the door and turned a glaring eye on Lee. "That girl nearly found you out..." He seethed out.

Lee winced and nodded his head. "Well, I didn't expect she'd be here." He gave off a small shrug. "You've probably had this happen loads of times with Mouri-chan."

At those words the other shrunken-teen's face went pale before he looked away with an annoyed frown on his face while a large grin grew spread across Lee's. "Idiot. If they find out they'll be in danger."

"I know that. How long do you think I've been at this?" Conan turned his head to look back at Lee with a blink of his eyes as the magician lowered his head with grim smile on his face. "I'm not a novice at this type of thing, Kudou. I know these types of people after us are bad; that they kill no matter what..."

Conan stared at Lee, noticing the hint of longing and sadness hidden behind the other's eyes. ' _Kuroba..._ '

The two boys stayed up in the main room until it hit 6:30pm when Ran decided to come up to cook dinner and say that Aoko had left, causing the two boys to sigh in relief. Kogoro had come up a few minutes later after closing up everything in the Agency, sat down in front of the television and began to watch a cooking show with Yoko Okino as a guest judge.

Lee stood up and wandered into the kitchen and pulled on Ran's shirt hem, causing her to look down at him with a smile. "Yes..." She looked like she was in thought before finally remembering. "...Lee-kun, right?"

He gave a nod. "Can I stay over? Conan-kun was worried about me after I got kidnapped today and he wanted me to stay over."

This caused the girl to gasp and drop to her knees and check the boy over. "You were kidnapped!? Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"My stomach is a little tender from being kicked there, but other than that I'm fine," He replied, giving her a smile.

Her finger grazed by his cheek and he blinked in confusion. "You have a cut on your cheek..."

"I was thrown out of a window; a glass shard might've scratched me."

She nodded and gave him a smile. "Sure. You can stay over for the night. If it makes Conan-kun feel better that way than its fine by me."

Lee nodded and smiled, thanking her and rushing out of the kitchen, but not before giving Satou a quick call to tell her he was staying over at the Agency.

She was fine with it.

He headed back out into the living room and sat down by Conan and gave him a reassuring smile. "I asked Neechan if I could stay the night." He had said it just loud enough that Kogoro would be able to hear him.

This instantly caught Kogoro's attention as he turned around and glared at the two boys. "What?! Who said you could stay over, brat? This is _my_ house! Go home!"

Lee didn't look phased at all by the shout and just stared at the man. "Neechan did." He pointed into the kitchen where Ran currently was. "Conan-kun wanted me to stay over because I was kidnapped today. He was worried about me."

Conan gave the magician a glare before giving Kogoro a nod when the man turned his attention to him. He let out a sigh and turned his attention back to the television with a grunt. "Just as long as it's for tonight only."

The shrunken magician gave the detective a grin; who just rolled his eyes in response. The three continued to wait as Ran cooked, but as it neared 7:00pm, Lee had disappeared from his spot beside Conan. He figured he went to the toilet that was down the hall however he didn't hear a door close. The two detectives seated themselves at the table and waited patiently as Ran brought the food out. She lay them out on the table as Lee came out with the drinks and set them down too.

Conan blinked, staring at Lee before a frown crossed his features. "You were in the kitchen the whole time?"

The other boy nodded. Ran giggled as she sat down beside her Father and Lee beside Conan. "I didn't notice he was there until he started using the rice-cooker and making all sorts of different types of rice balls."

"Sorry, if I used it without permission," he said, acting like a shy kid again. "I wanted to help out..."

"You're so sweet! Thank you!" She turned an iron-like glare on the other two in the room; who instantly froze. "Unlike these two..."

The two shrunk back a bit, trying to get away from her glare. "So, brat..." Lee didn't look at Kogoro. "Hey kid, I'm talking to you!"

"My name is Lee. It's not kid or brat..." He muttered out, sounding annoyed. He looked up at the surprised looks of Ran, Conan and Kogoro and smiled. "Sorry, my Kaasan says it's an insult when an adult calls a kid that!"

Kogoro snorted at that.

However he knew it was true.

He did feel Ran's gaze on him once more and shivered.

A sigh left the girl's lips, knowing she'd have to try giving a conversation a go with the boy instead. "Lee-kun, what are your parents like?"

The boy stopped eating and put his chopsticks down and looked as though in thought. His brows scrunched together as he tried to think of what to say. "My Kaasan is out of the country right now. She's very eccentric, but also hard-working." His eyes grew misty at the thought of the other parent. "Oyaji however ... he was the greatest. He was the coolest Oyaji I could ever ask for."

The boy noticed the looks he was receiving, flushed and looked away in embarressment.

"Was?" Kogoro pressed, lifting a brow.

He suddenly stood up from his spot, surprising the three. "I...I'm not that hungry. Conan-kun, can you show me the bedroom?" The other boy blinked and nodded.

The two left the room as Kogoro and Ran watched with bewildered expressions.

However they did know one thing.

That boy was just as enigmatic as Conan was.

 ** _~~~ 9:05am - Beika District - Teitan Elementary ~~~_**

By the morning; Conan had woken up early as usual, eaten breakfast and had gotten ready however his newest shrunken classmate wasn't even up yet. He had woken the boy up and found out he had a slight fever and had to wear a mask for the day to keep from spreading germs to the other kids.

Now as the two sat down in their desks and waited for their teacher to arrive while listening to the idle chitchat of the other kids. Lee coughed into his mask and sniffled, looking out the window he was seated nearby.

"Are you not feeling well, Lee-kun?" Ayumi came up to his desk and gave him a worried look.

He looked at her and smiled from under his mask. "I might've just caught something while in that filthy building yesterday," he responded with a nasally voice.

"Do you want me to check you over?" Haibara asked, looking over his shoulder with a small smirk as if wondering if his little fever will escalate and lead to something else.

He turned to face her slightly and shook his head. "N...No thanks, I'm good, Haibara."

She kept an eye on him and sat back down at her desk, leaning over to Conan's desk to whisper to him, _"You do realise that with him having a fever he might change back, you know."_

Conan turned his head to face her with a slight frown on his face. _"I'm well aware of that. I told him that something may happen if he gets sick, so I told him to tell me if he starts having_ those _pains."_

She gave him a nod, but made sure to keep her eyes on the thief.

Once Kobayashi entered the room; everything quietened down a bit. She smiled at the class and stood behind the podium at the front of the room. "Can anyone tell me what day it is today?"

All the kids looked at each other as if trying to figure it out. However one child instantly put his hand up with a confidant aura around him. "It's Father Day today, Sensei."

A nod in response and Lee instantly froze.

The reaction caught both Haibara and Conan's attention as they stared at their shrunken companion; who seemed to be staring at his desk with wide, horrified eyes.

It looked as if ... he was scared of this day...

"Class-time today will be spent making cards for your Tousans," Sumiko explained to the children as she picked up a box and wandered around the room, handing out pieces of cardboard to each individual kid. "You can design whatever you want on it for him; put as much love into as you can."

Lee lowered his head, making sure his teary eyes couldn't be seen since his fringe was in the way. ' _Why today..._ '

Once Kobayashi got to Lee's desk she noticed something was wrong with the boy, bending down to his eye level in concern. "Lee-kun, are you alright?"

The shrunken-magician's bottom lip trembled as his words poured from his mouth in an instant, "S...Sensei, how do you suggest I write a card ... when I have no one to give it to?"

She blinked, not expecting that response. She put a hand to her chin in thought before giving the boy a soft smile. "I'm pretty sure you're Tousan would still appreciate you doing this for him ... even if he's not around to have it physically."

Lee lifted his head up slightly to look the teacher in the eyes, noticing how she was holding out a piece of cardboard towards him. He swallowed and decided to take it into his hands, causing the teacher to smile. He placed it on his desk and watched as Kobayashi finished handing out the rest of the cardboard sheets.

He bit his bottom lip, staring at the cardboard before him as the kids got up from their seats and grabbed supplies from the art section at the backed the classroom.

How could he make a card for someone who isn't around anymore?

He released a small whimper, clenching his hands together under his desk before a bunch of coloured pencils were put on his desk, surprising him. He looked up and saw the smiling face of the Detective Boys.

"Ayumi noticed you looking sad. Is something wrong, Lee-kun?" Ayumi asked the boy; her face twisted in worry for her classmate as well as fellow Detective Boy.

Lee shook his head and tried to smile however it was hidden by his mask. "I'm fine, Ayumi-san."

The three kids didn't look convinced and neither did the two shrunken ones. They had noticed how he tuned out their teacher and looked quite upset to the point he was going to cry when she mentioned it was Father's Day.

Did that mean he didn't have a Father?

Just as Conan was about to ask he heard a buzzing sound come from Lee's pocket, causing the boy to take his phone out. He had explained to his Mother and assistant what had happened to him and told them to call him 'Lee' in texts just in case he was in school. They had agreed, but not without a small irritating, giggling session from his Mother.

He opened his phone and looked at the text in irritation. _[Happy Birthday, 'Lee'! You're Mother sends kisses!]_

"It's your Birthday today, Lee-kun?"

The magician turned around to face the Detective Boys and gave them a shy smile though it was hidden by his mask. "Sorry, I usually like keeping my Birthday to myself since it's also Father's Day." ' _That was a lie..._ '

"Well, why don't we celebrate it then!" Mitsuhiko exclaimed, hoping to brighten up the glum boy.

This only caused the shrunken magician to shake his head at the suggestion. The kids were confused while the other shrunken kids had a firm idea on why. Lee turned his head away from the group and looked out the window. "I ... can't celebrate my Birthday anymore..."

"Why not?" It was just an innocent question, but it still made Lee wince.

"Too many bad things happened on this day that I only bother celebrating that it's my Oyaji's death-day ... I can't celebrate my Birthday on this day anymore..." He mumbled out, barely for the other kids to hear however they heard it. Their eyes widened and looked at each other, wondering what to do to make their friend not feel so down.

"S...Sensei!?" Lee exclaimed, standing up from his desk; voice muffled by his mask. "Can I go to the Nurse? I don't feel so well..."

Kobayashi blinked and nodded. "Alright." She looked around the roo of who could go with him and her eyes immediately landed on Conan and smiled. "Conan-kun, can you take, Lee-kun, to the Nurse?"

He nodded his head at her, grasping the other shrunken teen's arm and taking him from the room. The two wandered down the hall of the school, turning into the boy's bathroom before Conan finally decided to speak. "You had a reason for wanting to skip class, didn't you?"

Lee looked away, eyes downcast. "Yea..."

"Is it because of the activity they were doing or ... are you going to go through _it_?" Conan asked, swallowing as he eyed the boy before him.

Lee laughed though it sounded choked as if he also had a sore throat. "Nah. It was just the activity." He stared at the bathroom wall; something hidden in his eyes Conan couldn't discern. "I've given you enough hints, so you should be able to figure out why ... I can't stand today."

Conan looked down in thought. _'His real name is Kuroba Kaito. His Birthday is June 21st.'_ He widened his eyes as a sudden realisation came over him as his eyes looked over to Lee. _'Wait a minute. His last name is Kuroba - Kuroba Toichi died eight years ago on June 21st. KID Heists also stopped after his death. Could this be the reason why Kuroba...'_

A short, pained scream caught Conan's attention as he looked back to Lee; who was holding his chest, kneeling on the ground. There was smoke surrounding his body and his breathing was ragged.

"Shit..." Conan swore out as he grabbed Lee's bag by the sinks and unzipped it. "Are there any spare clothes in here?"

"How can there be?" Lee muttered out, grunting in pain. "It's not like we ... had any at the Agency to use our ' _actual_ ' size..."

Conan growled to himself, taking his phone out and dialling a number. "Hakase! Can you pick us up behind the school? Also have some spare clothes of mine ready!"

A startled noise came from the other end at hearing. _"Sh...Shinichi, might I ask what is going on?"_

"Kuroba caught a fever this morning and he's changing back right now!" Conan exclaimed, sounding quite distressed.

 _"Okay! I'm on it, Shinichi!"_

The Professor cut the line and Conan grabbed hold of Lee. "Come on. We have to get around the back as soon as possible."

"Sounds like fun..." Lee let out a short laugh which only caused Conan to glare.

He hefted the other boy onto his shoulder, picked their bags up and carefully snuck down the halls of the school. He eyed each corner to make sure no one was there before going around it. They made it outside and to the back in twenty minutes and Conan realised that because it was Lee's first time changing back that it'd take thirty minutes to an hour for him to become a teenager again, but the change back to a kid was different.

Who knew how long he'd stay a teenager for until he changed back...

Conan saw Agasa's yellow beetle parked not too far away. He lugged the other boy inside as soon as he got there and got inside the car. The Professor then sped off towards his house.

Conan turned his head to see the thief clutching his chest, sweating and breathing worse than before due to his mask.

 _'You'll be okay, Kuroba...'_

 ** _~~~ 9:48am - Beika District - Agasa's House ~~~_**

As soon as they arrived at Agasa's house; the Professor took the sweating boy from the backseat and into the spare room while Conan grabbed the spare set of clothes that were sitting on the couch.

They were like any other of his other suits.

Kuroba will have to deal with it for the time being since they were in a rush.

He hurried up the stairs and into the room, laying the clothes on a chair as Lee grasped at his chest and struggled on the bed.

Conan frowned at the sight.

Was this how he looked whenever _he_ went through the change?

He then noticed the mask and sighed to himself, taking it off and putting it on the desk nearby. It wouldn't hurt him to have it off for a few hours and the change felt like you could hardly breath, so might as well help him there.

Conan stood back and looked at the Professor; who nodded and left the room. Now came the harder part. He looked at the clothes Lee was wearing and then to the teen-sized ones. The boy was in too much pain to do it himself and he'd experienced that before. He might as well give him another hand.

He out a sigh.

The hour passed by as Lee's struggling and grunts turned into screams of pain; his high-pitched child-like voice changing to that of a teenager before the screaming calmed down.

Conan and Agasa looked at each other as they sat in the living room. "We should check on him." The two stood from their places and headed up to the spare room, knocking on the door and receiving a groggy 'come in'. They opened the door to reveal a messy haired Shinichi look-alike with a mask over his face, sniffling, and glaring at the suit he was wearing.

"You have absolutely terrible taste in clothes, Kudou..." Kaito said, voice muffled by the mask.

"Says the guy that crossdresses..." Conan muttered out, causing Kaito to lift his glaring gaze at the shrunken teen.

"Hey, at least I _have_ good style!" Kaito exclaimed with a grin before sneezing. A frown plastered across his face.

"The Kaitou KID gets a cold now that's new," Conan smirked and Kaito huffed. However this only caused Conan to aim a glare at the teen. "You do realise this will only last for a few hours, right?"

Kaito turned his gaze back to Conan and nodded his head. "So, you're saying I should stay here until I change back?"

Conan nodded his head. "Yes." The shrunken detective gave a small wince. "I've made that mistake too often and wound up leaving Ran because I didn't know when I'd shrink back."

Kaito groaned, slumping back onto the bed. "I guess that makes sense. I can at least call them now just for a little bit..."

"Yea, maybe give them some reassurance too."

"I can make you a voice-changing bowtie if you want?" Agasa asked Kaito; who just cringed at the idea of using something other than his vocal chords.

"How about a collar instead?" The two looked unsure at the idea. "That way it can only have one registered voice in it; my own. I don't really need to do KID stuff right now, so I don't need every kind of voice. I just need my own to talk to Aoko when possible and make sure she doesn't start some weird investigation on me again."

"I'll think about it..." Agasa said, walking out of the room, leaving the two boy in there.

"You alright with this?" Kaito turned his attention to Conan, blinking. "Staying here while you're at your normal age is what I mean."

Kaito looked up to the ceiling in thought before finally letting off a shrug. "It's fine. There's nothing I plan on doing today anyway."

Conan blinked, eyes growing wide before narrowing in sympathy. _'That's right. He did say that he celebrated his Tousan's death-day more than his Birthday. Why is that? Kuroba, what are you hiding?'_


	6. Don't Wanna Lie

_**Here's chapter six of 'A Kid In Thief's Clothing' and obviously the next few chapters will be of Kaito not of Lee. He'll shrink back soon. I'll think up something to make it DRAMATIC since I love dramatic scenes. Also I'm nearly up to episode 800 in the Anime, so I can bring in Masumi, Subaru/Akai, Jodie and a whole bunch of characters that I've seen appear. However I want their appearances to make sense and to happen gradually with the story progression.**_

 _ **I don't want a character to be just dropped in because they can and not have any need to be in the story. It's like if you add in a love interest yet they have no reason to be there a part from being the love interest in a story; so they have no reason to be the story. That's why some characters I may not add in until the right time or they'll appear for a small cameo appearance before disappearing for a while and reappearing again and having a significant role to play.**_

 ** _Here is a list of the major characters that have appeared so far in order of their appearance chapters with also having the chapter they were first mentioned in as well:-_**

 ** _Chapter 1: Kuroba Kaito/Kaitou KID/Ishikawa Lee, Sato Miwako, Kobayashi Sumiko and Conan Edogawa (Kaito/Lee mentions Kudou Shinichi and Sato mentions Megure Juuzo)_**

 ** _Chapter 2: Haibara Ai, Yoshida Ayumi, Kojima Genta, Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko and Agasa Hiroshi (Kaito/Lee mentions Jii Konosuke)_**

 ** _Chapter 3: Wataru Takagi_**

 ** _Chapter 4: Mouri Ran, Nakamori Aoko and Mouri Kogoro (Kaito/Lee mentions his Father; Kuroba Toichi)_**

 ** _Chapter 5: (Kaito/Lee gets a text from his Mother; Kuroba Chikage)_**

 ** _Chapter 6: Sera Masumi_**

 _ **Anyways hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6**_

 _ **Don't Wanna Lie**_

 ** _~~~ 3:31pm - Beika District - Agasa's House ~~~_**

It had been six hours since Kaito had changed back to his teenage-self and still nothing had happened. The teen had decided to come down into the living room for lunch before confining himself to the spare room once more. Agasa had rung the school to tell them that he had received a call from Conan and had picked both him and Lee up since he didn't know whether Conan was starting catch Lee's cold he didn't want the other kids to catch it.

So, it was now after three and Haibara had arrived a little while ago with homework for the two. She shoved Conan's homework into his chest, earning a huff from the boy and an annoyed glare.

The girl looked around the room with a slight frown on her face before looking to Conan. "So I gather he changed back which is why you two skipped." Conan gave her a nod however she kept a firm glare on him and he shivered under her gaze. "If it's only a fever he should have shrunk back by now. What's taking so long?"

The shrunken detective bit his bottom lip, rubbing a hand behind his head and looked away from the mini-scientist that was currently glaring at him. "I may have ... accidentally given him a prototype antidote that you gave me instead of cold medicine..."

There was a twitch in Haibara's eye. "You what..." She growled out.

Conan waved his arms in front of his face as if to defend himself from an unseen force. "Look, I was in a hurry! I may have forgotten I put the antidote there in the first place!"

"Or you did it on purpose," she stated, folding her arms across her chest, smirking at him.

This only caused Conan to frown at her. "Haibara, I would never give him the antidote on purpose and knowingly when we were going to an elementary school and he could collapse in pain at any moment."

"Perhaps..." She sighed and he aimed another glare at her. "That antidote I gave you was meant to last for twenty-four to fourty-eight hours."

Conan looked down in thought with a frown set on his face. "So he'll be himself for another eighteen-hours, but after that we'll have to be careful."

The girl nodded her head at him and was about to respond when the door slammed open, revealing an enraged Ran. The two instantly dropped their conversation and looked to the girl; wondering what she was doing here and why she looked so angry.

Conan widened his eyes as he hoped the idiot in the spare room didn't do what he hoped he didn't.

"Where is he? Where's Shinichi!?" Her gaze landed on the two shrunken teens. "I know he came this way, so tell me where he went!"

Conan inwardly sighed, ' _That idiot..._ ' "Ran-neechan, I didn't see Shinichi-niichan come in here," Conan told her as Ai nodded beside him.

The karate-champion narrowed her eyes at the two. "Are you two covering for him?" They shook their heads at her.

She was about to interrogate them further when a loud curse came from the spare room.

A curse in a voice she recognised.

Ran narrowed her eyes, stomping over towards the door and banging on it. "SHINICHI! COME OUT HERE! SHINICHI!"

"I'm afraid you have the wrong person," Kaito's voice came out muffled through the door. He could tell he was probably making her angrier.

She growled, jiggling the door-handle only to find that it was locked.

She lifted her leg up, ready to kick down the door and making Conan freeze in horror while Ai watched in amusement; a small smirk curling along her lips.

Kaito opened the door, so that she could see his form and he had changed his outfit from the blue suit that he'd been put into earlier to that of a hoodie and jeans; much more his style. He watched as Ran eyed his form before coming to his face and glaring daggers at him.

He noticed how she was still balanced on one leg as if getting ready to kick him and he swallowed.

"Shinichi, where have you been?" She growled out through gritted teeth.

He just tilted his head, trying to act like he wasn't afraid to get his face kicked in. "I think you have me confused with someone else." He conjured up a yellow rose and smiled. "I'm Kuroba Kaito, magician."

"Kuroba ... Kaito..." She muttered, lowering her leg and standing properly again before realisation dawned on her; widening her eyes. "Ah! You're Aoko-chan's friend!"

She took the rose from his hand, gazing at it.

He nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Yea, sorry I gave you false hope there." He rubbed at a spot behind his head. "I was actually going somewhere when you showed up and I freaked out; thinking you were Aoko. You two look alike, you know."

"You and Shinichi do as well..." She said to herself causing him to tilt his head more. She twirled the rose in her hand and smiled slightly before a frown set itself on her face. "Why are you here?" He blinked, surprised at her question. "Shouldn't you be back home?"

"Umm..." He scratched his cheek almost as if it was a habit whenever he was nervous or embarrassed. "...I got attacked last night by a thug and while escaping I ended up here. Agasa-hakase and Haibara-san took care of me since I had a bump on my head."

"A bump on your head?" Ran asked, putting a hand to his head and he frowned slightly at her touch. "I don't feel anything, but..." She blinked when she saw a small cut on his cheek. "...you have a cut on your cheek..."

He put a hand to his cheek and just smiled, shrugging it off. "The guy had a gun and a bullet must've whizzed past my cheek there."

She frowned at him before looking down at his stomach and poking it. He took a step back from her; surprised at her for doing that.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his ears coated pink, but his face was as blank as a freshly cleaned blackboard.

"I was checking something. Are you tender there by any chance?"

He blinked before he realised what she was doing. He shook his head at her and tried scooting around her, but didn't avoid her suspicious gaze. He wandered over to Conan and Ai, telling them what Ran just did and the two stared at him.

Did he have a thing for making people suspicious of him or what?

Then again so did Conan...

"Anyways, I need to head back to Ekoda for a bit," Kaito told the two shrunken teens; who eyed him suspiciously.

"Why Kaito-niisan?" Conan asked in a childish tone, making Kaito cringe.

"T...There's somewhere I need to be right now..." His eyes darted away from the two not-children and they looked at each other.

"I wanna go too!" Conan exclaimed and jumped up and down and Kaito stared at him with wide eyes. "Please, Kaito- _niisan_! Please!" He exaggerated the 'niisan' just to spite the thief.

The magician's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "It's none of your business, _Conan-kun_ ," Kaito growled out, seeming fed up with being under the detective's surveillance.

Kaito stared Conan down; not wanting to be under surveillance in his home city right now.

It wouldn't feel right.

Then again it would make sense for Conan to come along just in case he did in fact shrink back.

"Do you mind if I come along?" Ran spoke up, causing the two to turn to face her in surprise. "I would like to see Aoko-chan again. You're her friend, so you'd know where she lives, right?"

The thief and detective looked put off by what the girl had said and blinked at her. Kaito gave her a small smile and nod. "Ah ... sure, I can show you where she lives if you ever want to see her. It's not that far from the bus stop after all, but I don't think she'll be home..."

Ran blinked and tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean, Kuroba-kun?"

He turned his head away from her, his fringe shadowing his eyes as a grim smile spread across his lips. "She'll most likely be where I want to go..."

 ** _~~~ 4:28pm - Ekoda District - Cemetery ~~~_**

When the three had arrived in Ekoda by train, Kaito then led them to the bus stop before getting off at a certain spot. As they walked; Conan noticed the way Kaito held himself wasn't the same way he did when he was KID - it was a slumped posture.

He also wasn't smiling and his head was low, staring at the ground as they walked.

Ran had tried to strike up a conversation with Kaito to get him to smile or even open up a bit, but he didn't respond to her.

He just kept that blank mask on his face; his eyes looking towards the horizon with his hands in his pockets.

It worried the detective of what was going through the thief's head at that moment.

After ten minutes of walking; the two finally found that they were standing in front of a cemetery and Kaito was heading in though the gate. Ran swallowed and followed; her hands shaking as she looked around as if trying to find some sort of evidence on a supernatural being due to being around so many gravestones.

As the three walked past rows of gravestones it became clear to Conan of why they were here.

It was Father's Day and also the Death-day of Toichi Kuroba; Kaito Kuroba's Father, so Kaito would obviously come here.

' _He must come here every anniversary of today ... no wonder he doesn't like celebrating his Birthday..._ ' Conan thought to himself, feeling sympathy for the thief.

They soon, found the gravestone that was a beautiful shade of white with a picture of a clover and dove wings imprinted in the stone to represent his occupation and possibly the meaning of his surname; Kuroba - Clover.

Kaito flicked his wrist and a bundle of eleven red roses appeared in his hand. He lay them down on the ground before the grave with a sad smile. "Hi Oyaji..." His eyes scanned the site and smiled when he noticed the single red rose right next to the headstone. "I see Kaasan visited you..." A sigh left his lips.

Ran watched the teen with sad lavender eyes while Conan allowed his own ocean blue ones to scan the area as Kaito put a hand to the gravestone before taking it away, gently and standing back up. He smiled at the two though they could tell that it was forced.

"Thank you for accompanying me here..." He said, sounding embarrassed as he began to head back towards the main gate with the two following him.

"It was no trouble at all, Kuroba-kun," Ran said with a smile on her face.

"That sounds way too formal. You can call me, Kaito, if you like," he told her, letting a small grin split across his face.

He could feel a pair of eyes glaring into his back and knew who they belonged to.

"Then you can call me, Ran."

He gave her a nod as they walked out of the cemetery, turning the corner only to come face to face with Aoko Nakamori; holding bunch of flowers in her hands. "K...Kaito!" She exclaimed, blinking and staring at him. Her shock disappeared before she glared at him. "Where have you been?!"

He let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "I was in Beika..."

"I was there yesterday, but I didn't see you," she ground out, sounding frustrated.

He held up his hands as if to hold off any sort of attack she had planned for him, especially if a mop was involved. "I was attacked by a thug lask night. I got away and ended up at Conan-kun's friend's place before passing out."

The look she gave him told him that she didn't believe him at all. "Are you sure you're not lying?"

"I'm not!" He exclaimed, getting defensive. "I even have a bump on me head! See?" He bent down to show her and she pushed him away in annoyance.

"I don't need to see it! I just want to know why you've been away from school for five days!" She exclaimed, glaring back at him.

He felt himself freeze.

He glanced over to Conan before looking back at Aoko.

Conan already had Ran suspicious on his secret ... he didn't need Aoko doing the same thing.

"I was..." His eyes searched the area, trying to find an excuse of what to use.

"Don't you dare say you were sick, because I went into your house using the spare key you gave me."

He blinked, staring down at her and he could see the bright and knowing look in her eyes.

She didn't just _have_ a suspicion ... she already knew...

He was stuck.

What could he say to her.

There was also the fact that Mouri was here and if he or Aoko said the wrong thing ... it was over for Kudou.

He grabbed Aoko's arm and pulled her farther down the street; away from the shrunken-teen and karate-champion. "Aoko, I need to talk to you for a moment?"

She only responded by frowning at him and yelling at him, but he just led her away from the two.

He knew he'd get a personal talking-to from Conan later, but he wanted this settled.

He would rather Aoko know about his 'little' problem then him being KID.

She hated KID and her knowing would break her, but his current problem wouldn't be that much of a problem for her ... right?

She knew him from when they were kids, so she'd obviously be suspicious.

He finally stopped, looked over his shoulder at the two on the other side of the road before turning back to the frustrated girl before him. He sighed, taking in a breath and letting it out. "Aoko, was there anyone you met while in Beika yesterday?"

She blinked when he asked that question and nodded at him. "Yes, there was. A boy that looked a lot like you when you were six; said his name was Ishikawa Lee." Kaito bit his bottom lip. "I actually thought he was you at first, but that's silly considering he _did_ say people can't de-age and you _are_ here now."

"Aoko..." She turned her head to face him and blinked; noticing the distant look in his blue eyes and how his face was shadowed by the afternoon sun. "...I'm sorry, but you were right." She stared at him, eyes widening as it dawned on her on what he was explaining. "I got confused for someone else and given a drug that was meant to kill me, but shrunk me as a side effect. I've been hiding out in Beika with someone because I don't know what would happen if they found out the person they poisoned wasn't who they thought."

"I..."

She couldn't speak.

She just stared at him with wide eyes.

How could she believe something like that, but then again the boy yesterday did look a lot like Kaito as a child.

"Aoko, I'm keeping my distance to keep you safe," he explained to her. "You ... understand, right?"

She nodded her head at him, mute.

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Can you ... say something?"

"Kaito, if you're hiding because you're afraid whoever poisoned you will find out ... how are you..." She gestured to his current appearance causing him to look down at himself.

He gave off a nervous chuckle and shrugged. "I had a cold today and I was told that fevers can cause a change."

She made a small noise, but nothing more than that.

The magician watched her and noticed her movements were small; like she was fidgeting.

She was afraid for him.

"You can come visit me in Beika since you know my alias." She looked up and he gave her a smirk. "I doubt I'd be able to come all the way to Ekoda without a good reason, but you can. I'll also explain more to you at a better time."

She gave him a solemn nod before his arms wrapped around her small frame, causing her to flinch at his touch before finally leaning into his strong arms.

He let a small smile flit across his face as he held her.

"I won't be far away. I don't know how long this will last..." He stared down at her as she hid her face in his shirt. "...I just wanted to let you know why I was gone and what happened..." ' _So that you would be safe._ '

They broke a part and the girl nodded at her childhood friend. "O...Okay. I promise I'll visit and make up an excuse for you at school."

A huge grin spread across his face at hearing this. "Thanks Aoko!" He turned his head back to look at the glaring form of Conan and wide-eyed Ran, wincing at seeing the slight form of tears in her eyes. "Also Ran-chan wanted to know where you lived, so that she could come visit you. I could just give her your number instead of dragging her there."

"That's a good idea. You probably want to head back to Beika just in case," She said; her eyes glancing over him in worry.

He rubbed a hand over his head and nodded at her. "Yea. I don't know when I'll change back to a kid, so I might as well. I don't want to freak Ran-chan out." Kudou would kill him if he shrunk in front of Ran.

She nodded her head at him before grasping his hands together with hers, surprising him. "Kaito ... just be careful. Please..."

"I will. I promise..." He smiled at her and she sighed, letting go of his hands.

They headed back over to the two that waited across the road. The two girls exchanged cell-phone numbers before splitting up; Aoko heading into the cemetery to visit Kaito's Father's grave and the other three heading back towards the bus stop to head back to Beika. All the while Kaito was getting glares from Conan.

He knew why.

The shrunken-teen had deduced that he'd told Aoko what happened to him.

What could he do?

He didn't want her to worry about him.

He wanted her to know, so that she didn't accidentally send herself into danger and drag Ran in as well.

It was better this way.

At least he still had his secret of being KID to himself...

 ** _~~~ 5:18pm - Beika District - Beika Station~~~_**

When the three finally got back to Beika; Kaito stretched and sighed in relief. Ran kept on glancing at him while Conan was giving him his own version of Hairbara's 'evil-eye' stare. The three walked down the side-walk of the streets, Ran window-shopping while the two boys hung behind her allowing the thief to bend down to Conan's eye-level to meet the detective's annoyed gaze.

"What's up, Kudou? You've been giving me the stink eye since we met up with Aoko," he questioned the shrunken detective.

The boy only groaned at how dense the thief was. "It's just ... seeing you interact with Nakamori-san made me feel..."

A grin split across Kaito's lips as he finally put it together. "Jealous?" A slight blush tinted Conan's cheeks as he nodded. A laugh escaped Kaito's lips as he shook his head at the detective's words. "I can get you'd feel that way. I think even Ran-chan was feeling that way..." He looked down at the ground, feeling guilty that the girl had been teary-eyed at seeing him and Aoko interact.

It had probably reminded her about when she and Kudou interacted like that.

He was now doing the same thing to Aoko.

It made him realize how much he and the detective were alike in that sense...

Conan blinked and looked up at his friendly-rival with surprise coating his eyes. He turned his attention towards the girl allowing his eyes to soften as he gazed at her and sighed. "I can understand why. She's been waiting for me to come back for months. I've only come back every so often before running off again because the antidote wore off."

"Is that why you need to monitor me?" Kaito asked, eyebrow raising.

The boy nodded his head at the question. "You're not used to changing between a child and teenager's body, but Haibara and I are. You're only used to disguising as other people and not only that..."

The thief understood where the detective was going with this. "The transformation takes a while until the actual change happens. It's painful until it eventually wears off."

The boy nodded his head at what the teen beside him described. "Yes, making it hard for unwanted passersby's to notice anything..."

Kaito hummed to himself; putting a hand to his chin. All this talk about the transformation made him wonder whether he should tell his rival about how he told Aoko to stop her meddling and make sure she knew the danger she'd be in. He gazed down at the detective with a frown plastered on his face as he noticed his ocean eyes were once more attracted to Ran.

A smirk spread across Kaito's lips, but before he could tease the mini-detective ... a scream caught them both off-guard.

Kaito sighed to himself as Conan ran off in the direction the scream came from.

Ran turned in the direction of the scream as she noticed her ward run in the direction it came from. "Conan-kun!"

"I'll get him, Ran-chan!" Kaito told her as he ran after the detective, sending her a smirk.

She blinked as she watched the two run off before following after them. She watched Kaito from the back, staring at him. ' _Have I seen him from somewhere?_ '

The two rounded the corner before coming to a store just at the corner of the street, there was a crowd of people already there as the two pushed through. "Excuse me!" Kaito exclaimed as he got annoyed looks from the onlookers by pushing through. "I'm looking for a really nosy kid with glasses!"

"Conan-kun!" The teen was brought out of his thoughts as he looked to the store and saw a girl with short, messy black hair and lime-green eyes. "What a coincidence to see you here!" She gave him a wide grin, showing teeth.

Conan just laughed at what she said. "Ah ... yea, it sure is, Sera-neechan!" He exclaimed and Kaito now realised who this was; widening his eyes.

' _Shit, it's that girl from the Blush Mermaid Heist!_ ' He thought to himself, trying to inch himself away from the scene; however he felt a hand grasp his arm and drag him over to the two, causing him to grit his teeth together.

"Sera-san!" Ran cried out as she brought Kaito over with her. The girl lifted her head up from her conversation with Conan and smiled at Ran however she blinked and stared at Kaito. The karate-champion let go of Kaito's arm, but the teenage thief noticed how Sera's gaze went between the two as though trying to figure how there were two of them.

' _She knows about Kudou, but how?!_ '

"Sera-san, this is Kuroba Kaito; a friend of the girl that came to Agency yesterday. I told you about that at school, didn't I?" Ran explained to her.

The female detective still looked to be in her own little world; shocked. She shook her head and nodded with a wide smile on her face. "Yea, you did." She held out her hand to Kaito. "It's nice to meet you! I'm Sera Masumi!"

Kaito swallowed and clasped her hand with a bright smile on his own face. "It's nice to meet you, Masumi-chan!"

Her grip on his hand tightened and he swallowed. "Oh, how do you know I'm a girl?" He blinked and stared at her, tilting his head to the side as if to give off a vibe he didn't understand what she meant. "Everyone I meet always mistakes me for a boy, so why do you think I'm girl?" She grinned at him.

Kaito widened his eyes and he could tell that she already suspects him of being Kaitou KID from that one mistake.

His eyes scanned her body and he blinked, smiling to himself as if he'd won a game of poker.

He swallowed and grinned at her. "You're wearing a skirt and schools are usually very strict about their dress codes!" He explained to her.

She huffed, letting go of his hand however her iron gaze didn't leave his triumphant grin that was plastered across his face. ' _Why are you here and what do you have planned ... KID-san..._ '


End file.
